Salinas
of Añana
The name Salinas de Añana is inevitably linked to the history of salt. Its salt springs are already documented in the year 822, shortly before the Arab occupation of the area. After the town of Salinas de Añana was founded in 1140, making it the oldest in the Basque Country, it was in the Middle Ages when salt production and trade made it one of the most prosperous towns in the north of the peninsula.
[ salinas of añana ]
Our history
The history of Salinas de Añana has been linked to salt since its origins, and it has stood out, more than as a condiment, as an essential element for the salting of foodstuffs. During the Middle Ages it was one of the main items of consumption and turned the area into a vital centre for the economy of the time (this is documented in writings from the 9th century).
As the first town in the Basque Country, it developed, thanks to its charter, into one of the most coveted places in the north of the peninsula.
Until the 19th century, the Crown owned the salt mines. In the 20th century, its splendour began to wane. The passage of time and neglect led to the approximately 5,000 threshing floors being declared in ruins. Today, thanks to a comprehensive restoration plan, a large part of these 5,000 threshing floors have been restored, including archaeological, architectural, cultural, environmental and landscape aspects.
1st century BC.
Change from forced evaporation to natural evaporation in the Salt Valley, with the integration of the area into the Roman Empire.
822-823
- First documented references to the salt springs.
- In 823, ‘Abd al-Rahman II leads the “Alaba Campaign,” sacking the region, but Alaba remains “the gateway to Christendom”.
855-865
Muslim Aceifas, most notably that of 865, which ravaged Salinas de Añana.
1114
Official foundation of the town of Salinas de Añana by King Alfonso I of Navarre and Aragon.
1140
Confirmation of the charter and consolidation as the first town of Alava after the conquest of Castile by Alfonso VII.
Middle Ages (12th-15th centuries)
A period of prosperity thanks to the production and trade of salt, a key factor in the economy and food preservation.
19th century
The salt mines remain under Crown control until the decline of their management.
20th century - 1950s
Recent peak: 5,648 threshing floors in use and 664 inhabitants in the village.
1998
The Provincial Council of Alava initiates a recovery plan for the Salt Valley.
2000
Launch of the ‘Master Plan for the Integral Recovery of the Salt Valley,’ a model based on the success of Santa María Cathedral in Vitoria-Gasteiz
Present
Thanks to the integral restoration, many of the 5,000 threshing floors are rehabilitated, recovering the archaeological, cultural and landscape heritage of the Salt Valley.
Snippets of history
Salinas de Añana is a medieval village that was founded in 1114 by King Alfonso I El Batallador of Navarre and Aragon.
The change of evaporation system (from forced to natural) in the Salt Valley took place around the 1st century B.C. (about two thousand years ago), when this area in the north of the peninsula became part of the Roman Empire.
In 823, for example, there was the aceifa (from the Arabic for ‘summer’ because the attacks took place in summer) of ‘Abd al-Rahman II (Abderraman), remembered in the Muslim chronicles of Ibn Idhari as the Alaba Campaign, in which the Alaba plain was sacked, its fortifications destroyed and the Muslim prisoners liberated.
During the reign of Muhammad I, attacks or aceifas were repeated in 855 and 856. Others took place in 863 and 865, the latter of which saw the Hispano-Muslims ravage Salinas de Añana. But Alaba was never Muslim, but rather ‘The Gateway to Christendom’.
The importance of the salt and the strategic location of the town led the King of Navarre to build a defensive wall to defend it against the continuous attacks from Castile. It was the first town in Alava to receive a town charter and its charter was confirmed in 1140 by Alfonso VII of Castile once the Castilian conquest was completed.
The causes that led to the worrying state of deterioration of the salt valley are varied. However, it should not be forgotten that, in reality, it is a pre-industrial factory, so its future has always been inextricably linked to its capacity for the production and marketing of salt. This is why it was seriously affected by the crisis suffered by the inland saltworks as a whole, especially from the second half of the 20th century onwards. During this period, improvements were made to the coastal salt works and transport systems which meant that this type of installation lost all its competitiveness. To demonstrate this, a few figures are all that is needed. In 1950, there were 5,648 salt works in use and 664 inhabitants. In 1990, only 300 salt works were producing salt and the population barely exceeded 150.
From splendour to decline
The process of real recovery of the salt valley did not begin until 1998, when the Provincial Council of Álava launched a series of actions with the aim of generating the necessary conditions to halt and reverse the process of deterioration and begin the path towards its enhancement.
It is worth highlighting the formation of the society of salineros and salt mines; Gatzagak, through which most of the owners were grouped together and their opinions and requirements were unified into a single interlocutor. The most important action that occurred throughout these two years was, without a doubt, the implementation in 2000 of the “Master Plan for the comprehensive recovery of the Salado Valley of Salinas de Añana.” Plan that was based on the good results obtained in the cathedral of Santa María de Vitoria-Gasteiz.